Come mid-August, fans of the Southeastern Conference will be getting their digital fix. And not just for football. They will be able to satisfy most of their jones for all SEC Sports (limited or no live coverage). According to Charles Bloom of the SEC, his understanding is that the content will be free, and he will get back to me with a more definitive answer.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Southeastern Conference (SEC) and XOS Digital, a division of XOS Technologies, Inc., jointly announced today that SEC fans will soon be able to experience the Conference as never before in the history of college sports, thanks to the fast-approaching launch of the SEC Digital Network. With its arrival just prior to football season, the fully integrated new media network will empower fans to experience their favorite SEC teams outside of live, at-game parameters and within minutes after a game's conclusion. "The SEC Digital Network provides our fans with access to the largest online library ever of the Southeastern Conference and its institutions," said SEC Commissioner Mike Slive. "Through the efforts of XOS Digital, the SEC Digital Network will provide us with the ability to create and repurpose programming for our fans in a way that was not possible in the past."

The SEC Digital Network will launch prior to the 2009-10 college football season and will set an industry example for how sports organizations can aggregate, manage and distribute exclusive content to fans, according to John Christie, XOS general manager of the SEC Digital Network. Christie added that this technology milestone further positions the SEC as a leading industry example in the digital realm.

From a fan perspective, the SEC Digital Network translates as the largest online library of exclusive and comprehensive SEC sports content available anytime, anywhere. "What makes it so appealing from a fan's perspective, is not only the breadth of exclusive content and flexibility it provides, but also the fact that it's all indexed and easily searchable," Christie said.

Upon launch, the SEC Digital Network will provide its combined fans and alumni from all 12 Conference schools with original produced programming from nearly 10,000 hours of exclusive SEC video. In addition, much of this content will be accessible just minutes after a game's conclusion, which is something Christie says has not been a reality for fans until now.

Fans will have 24-hour, multi-platform access that includes a completely revamped Web site (www.SECSports.com) and mobile devices. The SEC Digital Network will provide fans with access to exclusive content through online video syndication, digital downloads, and exclusive live-streaming and on-demand video content encompassing:

Highlights

Complete game replays

Breaking SEC news in real-time

Post-game interviews

Tailgate events

Behind-the-scenes pep talks

Press conferences

In addition, the SEC Digital Network will enable fans to engage via widgets, polls, forums and mashups that enable the blending of two external functionalities.

The SEC Digital Network will encompass all men's and women's sports. For the 2009-10 season, fans can expect coverage and commentary from a total of 96 regular season Football games, 186 regular and pre-season Men's Basketball games, 165 regular season Women's Basketball games, more than 750 Olympic events and all championships and tournaments.

Details on the official launch date for the SEC Digital Network will come in mid-August via Twitter (http://twitter.com/xosdigital or http://twitter.com/SECSportsUpdate), FaceBook, SEC fan e-mails and an official news release. The Conference encourages fans to continue to visit the current www.SECSports.com Web site for updates in the coming weeks. For more information fans can also visit www.xosdigital.com.